Downfall and Recovery
by Pilipa
Summary: ON HIATUS It wasn’t L that brought Kira down. It wasn’t the police of any country. It was a man who didn’t even bear a grudge toward the vigilante...
1. The Fall

It wasn't L that brought Kira down. It wasn't the police of any country. It was a man who didn't even bear a grudge toward the vigilante.

Takahashi, Hiro was driving home after pulling a double shift at work. His eyes drifted slowly shut…



Yagami, Light was pretending to read a textbook as he strolled out of the fortress like building L had constructed for the purpose of tracking down Kira. His mind was occupied with several different theories and plans for L's downfall. It wouldn't be long now. Thanks to his previous strategy he was back in contact with the Death Note and all his memories of its use were once again his. Just a few more blocks had to fall into place. He needed to tell Misa where to find the other Death Note. After that…

There was no warning. Light may have had the right of way on the walkway, but that meant very little to several tons of moving steel. Light's body hit with a sickening crack and was flung over the windshield to smack onto the pavement. His last seconds of consciousness were occupied with pain and a single thought.

'_Is this it?'_



L had sent the task force home to their families for rest. Everyone had been on their last dregs of energy and if someone hadn't issued a break, frayed tempers would have snapped. The last one to leave had been Light-kun which wasn't all that surprising. L wasn't certain if his temper could be frayed anymore.

It had been strange. After his incarceration Light had become a different person. No one else had noticed the difference, not even his father, but L had. He had become softer, more child-like. He became an idealist rather than a realist. Now he was back to his intense mannerisms with a darker look to his eyes. L wasn't certain when the change had taken place, but it was there. This Light was more interesting to deal with, but also more dangerous. If he was indeed Kira, then L had just grabbed the beast by the tail only to discover it was not the lion he had expected and came prepared for, but a chimera.

It was as L was shuffling over to the fridge that Watari kept stocked with sweets that he heard a commotion coming outside the building. He wandered over to a window and peered outdoors. L felt the blood drain from his face and he bolted out the door and down the stairs. As he ran he called Watari on his cell phone informing him to call an ambulance immediately.

L burst out the front doors and ran to the crumpled form of Light. Light was on his back, but his lower half was twisted in a completely unnatural way. There was blood coming out of his nose and one of his ears along with several other scrapes and cuts. L carefully maneuvered Light's torso so that his spine was aligned. He prayed he was wrong, but it looked as if Light had broken his back along the lower vertebrae. He lifted Light's head to see if there was any trauma to the skull and discovered a large knot on the back of his head. Feeling along the bump, L felt relief and despair in that the bone was unbroken. Whether or not there was any bleeding underneath the bone would make the difference in if Light lived or not.

Just as he was about to peel open one of Light's eyes he heard crunching footsteps in the shattered glass surrounding them. The driver of the car was coming towards them looking dazed, but unharmed.

"Is he alright?! I can't believe…I mean I was…oh gods I'm so sorry."

L wanted to strike out at the man, but he could tell he was innocent of any malicious intent. Unfortunately some car accidents were just that. Accidents. Instead of doing something he would regret he went back to his task and lifted open one of Light's eyelids. There was enough light from the street lamps that the pupil should have contracted, but it remained large and unfocused. L cursed to himself, but had anticipated that Light would have a concussion. Now if only that ambulance would arrive soon…

Sirens started wailing in the background and the emergency vehicle came tearing up the street. It stopped short of the damaged car and a man and a woman came running towards them with a board and a medical bag in tow.

"Please move aside. We need to have complete access to him." The man brusquely pushed L aside, but the woman gave him a sympathetic look, before turning back to Light.

L watched numbly as they efficiently and carefully loaded Light on the board and into the ambulance. While they were working another ambulance and a squad car came on the crash site. The occupants of the other ambulance took the driver in hand while the police officer started to question him. The woman came back to L while the man hooked Light up to an IV.

"Why don't you come with us in the bus and I can get a look at your cuts." L looked down in surprise to see that he had indeed lacerated himself on the glass that surrounded them. He had forgotten to grab shoes before rushing down to the crash. He nodded mutely and they climbed in the back and the ambulance took off, sirens blaring.

The woman helped the man put a trachea tube in Light so they could manually pump air into his lungs, then turned back and cleaned L's slashed feet. She checked his torso for any injuries, but the blood on his shirt had been Light's. The normally lightning quick detective watched in a daze as all this occurred. He came to a bit when she started asking questions. He told her the information necessary and then listened as she outlined what he should do when they reached the hospital.

An eternity later they arrived at the hospital and the two medics rushed Light out of the ambulance and into surgery.

Feeling claustrophobic and overwhelmed at the same time L settled in the faded grey waiting room and pulled out his phone and called Light's family. The interrogation that followed completely drained L. He may be a genius at reading situations and people, but acting on those observations was something he had very little skill for and this ordeal was stretching this skill to the breaking point.

Finally L was able to hang up. He put the phone away and then pulled his knees up to his chest. He winced as pressure was put on his abused feet, but ignored the pain and wrapped his arms around his legs. He rested his forehead on his knees and waited.




	2. Awake



There was very little sound when Light woke up leading him to wonder if he really was still among the living. Then he became more aware of his surroundings and his own body. It was the horrendous ache throughout his form that made him decide that he was most definitely alive. He hurt too much to be dead. Then he listened. There was the persistent beep of a heart monitor and the small whoosh of an air tank, but underneath that was the slow breathing of someone deeply asleep.

Light opened his eyes. He blinked furiously and tears came to his eyes, until they adjusted to the lighting. The ceiling revealed very little so he turned to his right. There he discovered the heart monitor along with an IV drip and an air tank that led to two small tubes feeding small amounts of oxygen through his nose. Having satisfied his curiosity with that he turned to his left. What met him there shocked him for several reasons.

L was sitting in a relaxed version of his thinking pose in the chair next to Light's bed. He had turned to the side so that the back of the chair supported him. His shirt was not only wrinkled but was liberally dappled with what appeared to be blood. L's feet were also bandaged. Finally the detective was completely asleep.

There were several contradictions with Light's previous assessment of L. First off, Light was unsure as to why the detective was there in the first place, rather than his family or Misa. Second, why was L covered in blood and why were his feet wrapped up? Third why was he asleep? He never slept, especially around Light.

'_He's probably trying to catch me off guard so that I might slip up and reveal that I am Kira. Bastard.'_

Light's dark contemplation of L was broken off when the detective started awake. He turned to Light. When L saw Light his face brightened for a moment. Then Light spoke.

"Came to see me brought low, Ryuzaki?" A look of hurt puzzlement and then L's usual blank stare slid into place.

"It seems that you are finally awake Light-kun." For some reason this just frustrated Light.

"Yes. Thank you Captain Obvious." His voice dripped derision. "Since, you're being so helpful, mind telling me how I got here?"

Light was put on guard when L hesitated slightly before speaking.

"You were hit by a car six days ago. You have been in a coma. The doctors were uncertain if you would awaken. You are suffering from a major concussion and brain hemorrhage. They performed surgery on your admission to the hospital and managed to relieve the pressure in your skull before any permanent damage occurred. Two of your ribs are cracked, but no internal bleeding materialized…"

That hesitation again.

"What is it? You're not telling me everything." Light wasn't showing it, but he was starting to panic on the inside.

"…I'm sorry Light-kun. Several of your vertebrae were crushed in the accident...you're paralyzed from the waist down."

The bottom fell out from underneath Light. His heart monitor rocketed and a dull roar rushed through his ears. Light started hyperventilating and his pupils turned to mere pins. He could hear L calling out to him, but it was distant in the horror that surrounded Light.

Two scalding hands gripped his shoulders and shook him slightly. When he failed to respond the hands moved to cup his face and pull his chin up so that he stared into intense dark eyes shadowed by unruly black hair.

"Light. Calm down. Panicking will not help. Take deep breaths and relax."

Light quieted until he realized who was giving these orders.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Light stuck out at L verbally and physically landing a vicious blow to the side of L's face. The dark haired young man just stood there, eyes hidden under his hair. A drop of blood slid out of the corner of his mouth, but he made no motion to remove it. After a heavy pause L spoke quietly.

"I see that Light-kun has no further need of me. I will inform the doctors and Yagami-san that you are awake." With that L turned and exited the room. Light tried to ignore the fact that L was limping.

A short while later a female physician entered the room and gave him a thorough check up. Light had to endure the embarrassing and painful ordeal of having his catheter removed. Now that he was conscious whenever he had to use the facilities he would have to be helped into a wheel chair and then moved to the restroom where he would be assisted in any sort of output. Light wasn't certain if this was hell, but it came a close second.

After the doctor left his family and Misa came rushing into the room where another blow was dealt to his ego.

"Oh my God! Misa didn't know Light would look so terrible!" She winced away from him as if he was deformed. His parents and sister's reactions weren't much better.

"I'm sure he'll look better once the bruising goes away and his hair grows back Misa-san." His mother ran her hand against the stubble that was all that was left of his hair from what the surgeons had shaved off. Light could hear the doubt in her voice.

"You're going to look like a yakuza, bro." Sayu grimaced at the stitches in his scalp.

"Sayu, what a thing to say. Scars are distinguished." His father sounded as if he was forcing bravado into his tone.

A tight cold ball formed in Light's chest. He closed his eyes, willing it to go away.

"I'm so glad that Ryuzaki-san was there. We almost lost you as it was." Light opened his eyes in amazement and stared at his mother.

"What was that?"

"From what the paramedics told us, Ryuzaki ran out of the building and stabilized you until the ambulance arrived. He cut his feet on the glass since he wasn't wearing shoes. He called us when he got to the hospital. After you got out of surgery he didn't leave your side. He wouldn't even leave to change clothes or sleep. You're lucky to have such a dedicated friend."

Every word was a blow to Light's already crumbling mental foundation. Some of his discomfort must have shown.

"Come on everyone. Let's leave Light alone to rest." Light's father herded everyone out of the room tossing a concerned look at his son, before exiting himself.

Light lay back against the bleached hospital pillow and closed his eyes. He willed this all to go away. When he remained in his own private hell he started to tremble. Why did this happen to him? Was the Universe trying to tell him something? Was he not supposed to create a utopia with Kira?

His thoughts spiraled downward until he fell into a fitful doze.




	3. Seventeen Point Three Percent



The second time Light awoke L was once again installed in the chair next to Light's bed. This time he was awake and typing at his laptop on a table in front of him. Light held as still as possible, hoping that L hadn't noticed he was awake.

"Good afternoon, Light-kun."

Well that hope was in vain. Light looked over at L who was staring at him with equal frankness. This didn't unnerve Light like he thought it would. L's gaze wasn't horrified like Misa's, doubtful like his mother's, distasteful like his sister's, or filled with false bravado like his father's. It was steady and true as if L saw Light as he was and would be and was accepting him.

Light's gaze drifted to the bruise darkening L's left cheek and then shifted to the bandages still wrapped around his feet. The bloodstained shirt had been replaced by a clean one, but Light didn't need any more reminders of everything that L had done for him in the past week. He felt an uncharacteristic flush of shame.

Then the shame turned to anger. Someone was to blame for this situation and it sure as hell wasn't Light. He was about to lay into L when the detective spoke.

"17.3."

For one crazy moment Light froze, thinking that L was talking about Light's probability of being Kira.

"There is a 17.3 probability that Light-kun will regain his ability to walk. The doctors gave you a 5 chance, but knowing how strong-willed Light is, I upped the percentage."

Before Light had a chance to speak, L continued.

"Light-kun will have to undergo two surgeries to remove any fragments that might harm the spinal cord, then realign the spinal column and insert several steel rods for stability. After that there will be a two-week period of complete stasis so that everything can heal with no agitation. Then anywhere from six months to two years of rehabilitation."

Light turned from L to look at his hands. There was the usual medical bracelet informing anyone who wanted to know of his name and patient number. Nothing all that special, but it gave Light something to do rather than keep eye contact with the detective who kept confusing and infuriating Light at every turn.

"Also Light-kun might find it interesting that Kira has not struck in the past 10 days. This has led me to three possibilities." Something in L's voice made Light look back at him.

"1) That Kira is biding his time." L's gaze pierced into him as if he knew Light was Kira and was forbidding him to consider this option.

"2) That Kira has been put in a situation where he is unable to act." The stare changed so that L was saying that this was a possibility, but he was going to ignore that it was.

"3) That Higuchi, Kyosuke had been Kira all along and his final act to possibly save his honor was to commit suicide with the Death Note." There was finality to this statement. This was the option that L was going to stick with unless Light made him act otherwise.

"I have conferred with Rem. So that we will not die or lose our memories all those who came in contact with the Death Note will wear one of these." L lifted a small linked silver bracelet. "Watari had these made. They contain miniscule pieces of the Death Note. Too small to write on, but will serve for us having contact. Rem has taken the Death Note and promised to make sure any Death Notes or similar items are removed from Earth and will not return. This includes preventing other Shinigami from dropping their Death Notes."

After a long moment of furious thought Light realized that L had him pinned. With the complete loss of the Death Note there was no way for Kira to ever surface again in any manifestation. Even though he was silently fuming Light took the offered bracelet and latched it onto his wrist. Then a thought occurred to him.

"So this is it. The end of the Kira case. Why is the great L still gracing us with his presence? Don't you have somewhere else to be?" The thought of L leaving made Light feel vulnerable, which made him want to lash out; better to strike out, then be open to being hit. But L let the barbed words fly harmlessly past him.

"I can do my job just as well from Japan as anywhere else. This is the first time I have ever had to be on location for a case. Most of the time Watari or another of my team makes contact and I work via cyberspace…it also seems that I have a friend who needs me to remain here."

And for the first time in his life, Light had no words.




	4. Conflagration



"What do you mean 'L's not coming back'?" Mello's voice revealed his barely restrained anger. "Kira is dead. The case is over. Why is he not coming back to Whammy?"

"Some unforeseen complications arose while he was in Japan. He is going to remain on site there for at least the next few months. Possibly indefinitely." Roger tried to make his tone as calm and firm as possibly, but that did little to ease the news to the high-strung teenager.

"INDEFINITELY?! What sort of complications are we talking about here?!" Mello's voice spiraled upward.

"I'm sorry, but I am not at liberty to discuss that matter. I can tell you that he will be making periodical visits to check on your progress."

Mello was opening his mouth to let Roger know his feelings on _**that**_, when he was interrupted.

"L has forty different reasons for the color of his boxers, let alone staying in another country. I think he's got it under control." Matt never even looked up from his PS2 that appeared to be permanently attached to his hands, yet he got his point across and managed to calm down Mello…until Near put in his two cents.

"Are you saying you don't trust L's judgment?" Near was methodically manipulating a G.I. Joe.

The look that Near received should have caused him to burst into flames, but since that didn't occur Mello made a noise similar to a boiling teakettle and then turned on his heel and stalked out the door. Matt heaved a sigh as he stood, turned off his game, and then pocketed it. He then grabbed Near by the collar of his shirt and tugged him out of the office. Once they got outside he changed to hanging onto Near's sleeve. Near's expression didn't change an iota. He just trudged along behind Matt like a pale shadow.

Matt wasn't certain how he ended up being the one to make sure that Mello and Near stayed out of trouble (mostly from each other), but he wished he had looked more closely at the job description and declined. First he would drop Near off at his room so he would know where the twerp was if he needed him (unless he snuck off somewhere. Brat did that occasionally). Next he would follow the trail of bewildered, tearful, terrified, or furious people and track down Mello. He had approximately 14 minutes before something of potential value was mangled or set on fire.

That was the critical difference between the two young geniuses. Near played with toys. Mello played with guns, fire, and people's minds: though not necessary in that order.

Sixteen minutes later Matt discovered Mello. There was a maniacal gleam in Mello's eyes as he watched the merrily burning chair. Well at least that's what Matt thought it was. It was a bit hard to tell since it had been thoroughly mauled before its conflagration.

'_Why do geniuses have to be such psychos?' _Matt paused when he realized he would have to include himself in that statement then shrugged. _'At least my quirks don't involve combustion…except the smoking…damn.'_

After a few minutes the fire died down, but the two teenagers continued to watch the smoldering remains.

"Why do you think L is staying in Japan?" Mello's voice was soft, but Matt could hear the hurt in it. Everyone in Whammy House looked up to L, but Mello's constant battle to be first was entirely so that L would look on him favorably. Matt knew it almost killed him when Near arrived and stole the spotlight. So what are you supposed to do when the one you most look up to in life suddenly decides to stay away?

Go to them…

"Hey Mello." Matt turned to him.

"What." Mello was over being soft and back to being his waspish self.

"How's your Japanese?" The swiftly brightening look Mello gave Matt made dealing with the blonde's idiosyncrasies bearable.




	5. Appropriate Immaturity





L was trying to decide whether or not he would be eternally damned if he laughed at Light-kun's current predicament.

'_Laughing at a person with a disability. Damnation. Laughing at a person with a disability who has an itch they can't scratch. Eternal Damnation. Laughing at a person who is possibly the most arrogant creature on earth and refuses help in any situation, who has an itch they can't scratch…'_

L decided a small smirk was appropriate.

Since Light's skills of observation hadn't lessened any he caught the smirk, which made his complete frustration boil over. Plus his nose itched damnit!

"What is so damned funny?!" Light's voice erupted.

"The fact that Light-kun's nose itches, yet he refuses to let his discomfort show or have me help to alleviate said itch." L said after deciding to be truthful.

"Well maybe I like having my nose itch. Ever think of that genius?" Light's brain was currently wondering why being around L made him act approximately five-years-old.

"Really now? I never thought you to be a masochist. In fact sadist is what usually came to mind. I shall now have to change my entire view of Light-kun." L really did enjoy pressing Light's buttons far too much. He was just so much fun to wind up.

"If I could move my arms I would seriously consider strangling you right now. Since I can't I'll just imagine it as vividly as possible." With that Light closed his eyes. L just kept peering at him curiously, letting the threat go unchallenged.

Light was on his fourth day of complete stasis. Both surgeries had gone remarkably well, but nothing could change the fact that Light's lower back had been pulped. It was going to take a miracle for Light to regain the ability to walk.

L shook himself mentally to get rid of those negative thoughts, but then he took in Light-kun's rather sad appearance. The younger genius was in a full body cast to prevent any movement. So all that was visible was Light's feet, hands and head. His hair was starting to grow back in the swaths that the surgeons had removed, but it was still just stubble lined with ragged rows of stitches. In other words, he looked pretty pathetic. At the same time his pretense was as arrogant as ever. Course now that affectation was becoming more and more of an act. How long would it take for it to crack or even break?

Light's nose was twitching slightly at the suppressed effort to make the itch go away. Grinning impishly L reached over and scratched the offending appendage. Light's eyes shot open and he glared at L, but didn't tell him to stop. After a short while L sat back with what looked like a blank expression, but Light just _knew_ that L was smiling triumphantly in his head.

Since he hadn't reached his quota of immaturity for the day Light stuck out his tongue at the irritating detective, just making his non-existent smile larger. Light closed his eyes in a huff. He really wasn't normally this childish, but with the end of the Kira case (damn L) there really was no reason for him to continue to pretend to be the upbeat perfect Light anymore. Plus it was very enjoyable to just vent on L. Everyone else would be hurt by his gruff manner, but the detective just took it in stride and often answered with witty repartee. Light's thoughts came to a close. That's when he noticed that silence filled the room. It was tense, but along the lines of the hush before the punch line of a joke is delivered. Finally Light decided to break the quiet.

"Hey Ryuuzaki, why did you decide to become a detective?" Light was genuinely curious and figured that L would tell him since it was doubtful that Light could figure out L's identity from a motive.

"42."

"…what?"

"42. Since that is the answer to 'Life, the Universe, and Everything' I figured it to be an appropriate response." Once again L had that expression that outwardly appeared serious, but inwardly he was laughing, or as Light liked to think, taunting.

"Have I mentioned lately that I think you are completely insane?"

"Not today, but thank you for the sentiment." The invisible smirk broadened again.

Light decided he didn't want to egg L on, so he dropped the subject, though he did find it interesting that L had read Douglas Adams well enough to quote him. Course Light remembered everything he ever read so it figured that L could do the same. The detective had the unnerving habit of unearthing obscure talents or connections whenever he felt like it. Probably for his next trick L would saw Light in half. Putting him back together though…

With that rather morbid thought Light slipped back into sleep.




	6. Flight Delay



"All international flights have been cancelled. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Please report to the help desk with your airline for additional information. Thank you." The slightly garbled woman's voice could barely be heard through the babble at the airport in Amsterdam. The message was then repeated in five different languages, all of which Matt could translate easily if he had been listening. The same message had been playing for the past two hours due to the horrible thunderstorm that had surrounded the airport. Matt had already checked in with his airline and secured three tickets for the next morning to Japan and was slumped back against a stainless steel wall with his head pressed against the cool metal.

The reason he had to get three tickets was currently curled up at his feet, passed out with a stuffed dog tucked under his arm. Mello about had a conniption fit when he and Matt had boarded the plane from London to Amsterdam, to find Near buckled up in the seat next theirs.

In an uncharacteristic show of helpfulness Mello was getting himself and Matt coffee. Course that might be the fact the Matt was the one paying for this little venture of theirs. Mello's jaw had been in danger of coming off when he found out that Matt not only had money and plenty of it, but that he had won it in online gaming tournaments. In fact the only one without cash on this trip was Mello. It had turned out that Near's G.I. Joe was a collectable and went for a rather astounding price on E-Bay.

Mello finally arrived with the coffee and handed a cup to Matt before plopping down next to him. They sat in a silence that was both fatigued, yet companionable, sipping their drinks. Matt looked at Mello out of the corner of his eye. It was easy to do and not be caught because of the tinted goggles. The normally sleek blonde hair was tangled and lank. Dark smudges underneath both eyes that, while normal on L, were misplaced here. Eyes that usually held mischief were only numb. Finally the mouth that could smirk so easily was set in a sullen line.

Well Matt knew an easy way to fix that. He had started carrying an emergency stash just in case he needed to bribe Mello. As they both got older Matt became more affable, while Mello went the opposite direction and became more neurotic so bribes became a necessity. Matt reached back to his backpack and ruffled around till he found his secret compartment and grabbed the pocket's contents. He handed a bar of solid milk chocolate to a rather astonished Mello. Mello stared at it for a second then snatched the bar and expertly ripped open the paper and foil before taking a huge chomp out of the chocolate. A look of bliss washed over him as he took more reasonable nibbles out of the bar. Mello then seemed to remember that he had a semblance of manners and turned to give Matt a quiet smile and 'thank you'. Matt hid his own grin and chuckle since Mello's teeth were brown from his treat. It made the tense genius seem more like the charming kid he really was rather than the manipulative adult he could become at the drop of a hat.

Matt had been a bit worried when Mello had come from his room wearing well…leather…and lots of it. His pants were calfskin black leather that fit so closely Matt was surprised he could move. Matt hadn't realized he had said that last thought out loud until Mello showed him the elastic gussets at the seams and gave a demonstration to display how much movement they allowed for.

Matt's eye twitched.

How was he supposed to know humans could bend like _**that?!**_

Then as if that wasn't enough, Mello had a _very _fitted quilted vest. Also in leather. To finish this "look" Mello had steel-toed combat boots.

Matt opened his mouth and then shut it again. Anything he said about that outfit was going to get him smacked so he left the subject alone. For now.

While Matt was ruminating on this Mello had finished off his snack and was starting to nod off. Problem was it's hard to nod off while leaning against a wall. Matt saw this and gave a small mental sigh.

"Hey Mello."

The blond looked at him rather blurrily until Matt patted his shoulder. Mello's look was a tad suspicious, but then he shrugged and propped his head on Matt's shoulder where he settled with a soft exhalation. Matt pulled out his cell phone and programmed it to go off the next morning in time for their flight. Then he rested his cheek against Mello's soft hair and allowed sleep to claim him.




	7. Metaphors and Moral Dilemmas

A/N: Sorry it took me a while to get you this chapter. It took me forever to get this chapter looking like I wanted and then when I loaded it the text came out all wonky. Originally all text that is bold was the same font that L uses. The effect was better, but since I can't get it we'll all just have to pretend. Without further ado Chapter 7…



Light was having a rather hard time playing blindfolded chess against L. Well it wasn't so much blindfolded as that he couldn't turn his head far enough to the left to get a good view of the chess board, so he would call out the placement of his pieces and L would move them as well as his own pieces.

Another reason Light was having a hard time was that it turned out L was a brilliant chess player. It shouldn't have surprised him, but Light was so competitive, that a defeat in anything from tennis, to chess, to underwater basket weaving, left him more than a little vexed.

"Knight to C3. Check." L called out. Aw crap. If Light couldn't get his Queen in place he was going to end up in checkmate.

"Queen to A7." There that should…

"Pawn to A9. Checkmate."

"…" No freaking way. L had taken out his King with a _pawn?!_

Light tried not to think in metaphors.

"Good game Light-kun. Care to play again?" Light would have shrugged his agreement if he could have moved his shoulders, so he just nodded and L set up the board. Light didn't know it, but L had created his own sort of blindfold in a rather intense internal debate. The game started.

'_**Whatever happened to your 'Justice', Detective?' **_

'_I caught the current user of that Death Note. I made it so that a Death Note will never be used on Earth again.'_

'_**But what of KIRA? What of Light Yagami?'**_ L cast a worried glance towards the teenager.

'_What of him?'_

'_**You are avoiding the question. Why is he not imprisoned?'**_L winced.

'_He is in a prison. One created by his own broken body.'_

'_**Yet he receives no formal judgment. Don't lie to yourself, Detective. Tell me why. Why is this boy so important?'**_L was about to object to Light's importance then stopped. It was one thing to spin stories to those around him. It was quite another to try and lie to his own conscience.

'_He is the first true equal I have ever encountered. He is different from the others where I have to slow down, or dumb down. Often times I am racing to keep up. He challenges me.'_ L paused. _'__He is also my first genuine friend.'_

'_**So what of your 'Justice', Detective?'**_L strengthened his resolve.

'_Justice is blind. It's up to us who are her eyes and hands to find the heartfelt truth. The Law may not agree with my decision, but I will be the one to live with its results.' _

"Hey Ryuuzaki. It's a lot easier to play this game if you actually _move_ the pieces rather than just stare at them." The sarcasm in Light's voice was so thick you could take it and spread it on toast. L started with slight shock and then hurriedly moved a bishop. L frowned. It looked like Light would win this round.

L tried not to think in metaphors.




	8. Jet Lag Detective



Compared to the empty countryside near Whammy or the bustle of London, Tokyo was an entirely different creature. Matt had discovered shortly after hitting the streets that even people as distinctive as Mello and Near could easily be lost in the massive crowds. They now held hands "Like bloody kindergartners" (Courtesy of Mello) so as not to get separated. Besides some mutinous muttering on Mello's part and a slightly downtrodden look from Near they wasn't too much complaint. Part of that might have been the asphalt tattoo, Mello had received when trying to fight the crowds and the footprints on Near's back.

The trio's destination was a cheap hotel Matt had found with Wifi so they could try to decipher L's current location. Because of L's first broadcast where he declared Kira to be in the Kanto region they knew where to start. Sneaking out of Whammy and flying here was the easy part. Now they had to find a man who had spent almost his entire life trying not to be found. Who was a genius. With unlimited funds.

'_We are so screwed.' _Matt was never one for pessimism, but the situation called for it.

They finally arrived at the hotel, which deserved its two star rating, but had the ever-important internet connection and beds, which was all they really needed. Mello even managed to charm the elderly woman at the front desk into giving him a box of the chocolate mints that were supposed to go on the pillows of the suites, so he had his chocolate fix.

Once inside the room Mello picked a bed at random and flung himself and his bag on it. Similar to a cat he took up far too much space considering his petite frame. Matt was not looking forward to sharing with him later, since Mello flat out refused to share with Near and Mello and him had been roommates when they were younger. So their sharing seemed to be the logical choice. And we all know that geniuses are suckers for logic.

Near had tucked himself in a slightly stained, but thankfully clean upholstered chair with what Matt thought was a Batman action figure, while twirling a lock of his hair around a finger. Matt decided to follow Near's example rather than Mello's and set his bag on top of the cheap pressboard desk and plopped in the not matching chair in front of it. He pulled out his laptop and turned it on. Matt pulled an ashtray towards him and then lit up a new cigarette. That was another plus to the cheaper hotel. Smoking rooms. He inhaled deeply feeling the some of his tension slip away as he got his nicotine fix. Matt exhaled through his nose, the twin jets of smoke something that Mello would usually chuckle at and have a rude comment for.

As if being summoned Mello got up from the bed and prowled over to Matt. He propped his arms on the back of the chair and set his chin on them so he could peer over Matt's shoulder.

"So…how do we find a man, who doesn't technically exist?" Mello's voice only held a hint of sarcasm.

"We all know that L won't leave a trace, so we'll have to find those around him." Matt replied.

"Like Whammy is going to leave clues?" Mello really liked sarcasm.

"Not Whammy. L was going to work with the NPA on tracking down Kira. I'm going to be looking for anomalous activity within the NPA." Matt let the sarcasm roll off him like he was Teflon while he typed. He had practice after all.

"You're going to hack into the NPA computer system." Near decided to join the conversation.

"Already have. For a nation where a vast majority of technological discoveries have taken place, their firewalls suck." Matt paused. "This is interesting."

"Godzilla really does exist?" (Guess who.)

"The head of the NPA, Yagami, Souchiro, stepped down shortly after L should have made contact with the NPA, yet he wasn't put on the inactive roster." Matt's fingers flew over the keyboard, searching for more information. "There are four other men who have just recently started working on other cases, yet are not on the inactive roster."

"They set that small of a group to work the Kira case?" Mello occasionally doesn't use sarcasm.

"L only used one woman to solve the Los Angeles BB murders. Five men would be an ideal number for him to work with. Any more would make it hard to keep secrets. Especially secrets as big as the ones L has." Mello glared at Near. Near was just as impervious as Matt.

"So we know these men and their home addresses," Mello turned to look at Matt who nodded in the affirmative, "but I really doubt that they will just admit to knowing L and give us directions to find him."

"Check this out. Yagami's son was recently admitted to the hospital." Matt pointed to the computer screen. "What if we met him at the hospital? His guard is more likely to be down in that setting and he might let something slip. Plus he was probably the closest to L, if his records are even half true. He's a very decorated police officer."

"That should work. What's his work schedule?" Mello asked. Matt knew what he was getting at.

"He has Saturday off. He'll probably visit then." Matt said.

"Alright. Saturday it is. So…what are we going to do until then? Play tourist?" The way that Mello said "tourist" made it sound like a flesh eating disease.

"Well I plan on recovering from jet lag and maybe do some online gaming. I'll throw eating in there somewhere. What you want to do is up to you." Matt really just wanted to sleep about then. It may have been early afternoon, but his clock was totally out of whack. He ground his cigarette on the chipped ashtray then put away his computer. Even though Matt had an impressive security system he didn't fear for the computer's safety in present company. Near was good about staying away from other people's things and Mello still had the scars from the one time he tried messing with Matt's computer. That lesson stuck.

To get ready to sleep Matt just ripped off his boots, vest and goggles. He wasn't body shy, just lazy. Plus his striped shirt was pretty comfortable to sleep in. The jeans not so much, but Matt didn't really care. He slipped into the thankfully clean sheets Mello had rumpled earlier. Near and Mello were arguing over something, but they were keeping their voices low enough that it became a soothing background noise. With that Matt passed out.




	9. Oreos and Heirs

AN: I am so sorry it has been so long since I updated

AN: I am so sorry it has been so long since I updated. Since the last chapter I've competed in a national competition, moved two states away, and started college. Add in the fact that this chapter made my brain short out and you have months between chapters. Once again I'm sorry and I will try to do better in the future.



Normally Light just ignored L's bizarre eating habits, but today was different. Today L did not have cakes or doughnuts. He had Oreos.

Light watched in fascination as L first took a cookie from the bag. Then with a deft twist he would separate the top cookie from the bottom and cream. He would set the cookie on one side of the table. Next he would carefully remove the cream so that it came away in one complete slab. The cookie was placed with its former compatriot on the far side of the table. L would delicately grab the cream with his fingers, lever it over his mouth, and let it drop in. It disappeared with a quick swallow.

Light thought the whole operation was done, once the last cookie in the bag had been dissected, but he was wrong. L then turned to the pyramid of discarded cookie exoskeletons he had created. Each cookie became a work of art. L would nibble on the cookie to create hearts, crescent moons and stars. The final cookie became of all things an "L". For his grand finale the detective dipped his creations into a glass of milk that had been ignored up to this point. Then the soaked sweet disappeared into his mouth.

'_At 53 calories per cookie with 45 cookies in a bag we come to the grand total of 2,385 calories which is 385 more than a healthy dietary requirement. That's besides the 210 grams of sugar he consumed...'_ Light's mathematic musings were interrupted when the bottomless sugar pit turned to look at him.

"I'm sorry, did Light-kun want an Oreo? I have another bag if that is so." L turned to pull out another bag of the cookies.

"That isn't necessary Ryuuzaki." Light said this a bit too fast. He felt nausea rise at the thought of eating one of the chocolate cream cookies. Watching was bad enough.

"Are you certain?" L tilted his head slightly in question. "Well they're right here if you change your mind."

'_Hell will freeze over first.' _Light thought. What he said was. "Thank you, but no."

Light was being a bit more courteous since he was finally out of the full body cast and could do things like scratch his nose and turn his head. It really was the little things in life.

Suddenly L turned pale and his eyes got huge. Most people wouldn't have noticed the difference, but Light had been around the detective long enough that tiny changes like that sent up huge red flags for him. The only thing that was different was that Light could hear raised voices out in the hallway.

"A visitor's badge? We actually have to _wear_ these ugly ass things?" This sounded like a very annoyed young person.

"I'm sorry, but all visitors are required to wear the badge while present." Light recognized this voice as the head nurse on this floor that had almost infinite patience. It seemed like she had finally reached the end of it.

"I'm sorry Miss. I'll make sure my _brother_ puts his badge on _right away_." This voice was a young male and at the end of his rope.

"Like hell! There is no way you can make me…Noooo! How could you?! That was my last bar!" The desperation in that cry was astounding.

At this point three of oddest people Light had ever seen literally fell through his door. Well at least two of them did. A blonde wearing skintight leather was trying to strangle a boy with red tinted hair in a striped shirt. The third was a kid with white hair in what looked like white pajamas. The way he was slumped reminded Light of someone.

Then the red haired boy spotted the two of them and froze for a moment before trying to get the blonde's attention with very little success.

"Want to distract me? Nice try! You are so dead!" Finally the young man getting strangled managed to knee the blonde in the side and roll him off. He gasped for air and pointed at L. His attacker finally looked up and turned even paler than the detective. L gaped for a moment before the two wrestlers started babbling in English.

"Roger said you weren't coming back…"

"I followed him to make sure he wouldn't get into trouble…"

Then the blond stopped his tirade and stared at Light as if just seeing him. He also missed the shushing motions L was making.

"Who's the Frankenstein monster?"

Up to this point Light had been rather amused at their antics, but this crossed the line.

"I'm paralyzed, not deaf. Idiot." Light said this all in flawless English. The look on the blonde's face was one of horror and flaming embarrassment. Then Light looked over to see L making motions with his hands. He was confused until the other three started making gestures back. Then he realized they were signing.

"_Never underestimate someone. Whammy House isn't the only place those of higher intellect exist. Now can someone tell me why and how you three are here? One at a time!" _L signed this all quickly in American Sign Language since it was a requirement at Whammy House for situations like this.

Only then did all three boys pause. It seemed rather silly now that they were actually here. Then, with his face still flaming, Mello slowly started to sign.

"_You weren't coming home. You weren't coming back to Whammy. It was okay when you left for cases. It was necessary, but you always came back. Then on the eve of your biggest case you decided to abandon us. What were we supposed to do?"_

L froze. He had all sorts of notions from terrorist takeover of Whammy House to a chocolate ban in England, but this had taken him by surprise…yet it shouldn't have. He had known all these boys since they were very young. Even while being the top three detectives in the world, L had made it a priority of his to pay attention to the children of Whammy. With the brightest he was especially careful to have a hand in their life and how they were raised.

A's suicide and BB's later defection and killings were a blow to all of Whammy and L personally. L never made a mistake twice and one as devastating as that drove home the need for change. So, despite his social awkwardness, L would interact with the kids. From reading, to cooking, to just talking, he would find ways to connect. It was during this that L had come to a rather astonishing discovery.

Children didn't find his awkwardness a detriment. Whenever he entered the adult world L could tell that even those who respected his skills would look at his idiosyncrasies with disdain. Kids didn't think like that, even ones as gifted as those at Whammy. When L asked one young girl if she thought he was odd she said, "Sure you're odd, but that doesn't make you a bad person. You're L! You're the opposite of bad!" With that guileless acceptance L came to have a soft spot for all children in general and a particular love for those of Whammy and they loved him in return.

During his pursuit of Kira, L had been so single-minded he had ignored those he had left behind in England. These kids who had often had a hard time trusting anyone had come to count on him and he had returned their trust with a cold shoulder.

L was ashamed of himself. His shoulders slumped further as he finally replied to Mello's inquiry.

"_I'm sorry. You did as you should have. I needed a reminder apparently."_

Since Light had been unable to understand what was being said, he had taken the time to analyze the newcomers and read everyone's body language.

The boy in white seemed to be the youngest of the group, about 10 to 13 years of age. He had yet to speak a word so Light couldn't gain any clues from tone or accent there. He was most likely of Slavic descent, but Light couldn't narrow it down any further than that. Now that he could compare, Light could see a definite similarity to L in the child's posture. The movements were very methodical, especially for one so young.

Next was the boy with red hair not normally found in nature. His clothing was a bit of a hodge-podge, but not completely unappealing. Light placed his age between 13 and 15 leaning more towards the latter. In any other situation Light would have thought him to be an American, but with L there were no certainties. There were the beginning signs of bruising appearing on his neck. Plainly the blonde played for keeps.

Light wasn't even sure of the final intruder's gender until he noticed a hint of an Adam's apple. One would think that skintight leather would quickly reveal gender, but it in fact had the opposite effect. Once Light had determined the blonde was male he had an easier time estimating age, which he gauged to be similar to the previous boy's. The boy also appeared Slavic, but the crucifix most likely had him coming from a nation prominently Roman-Catholic, such as Poland.

The biggest surprise to Light in this whole fiasco was L. While L interacted with the boys his posture became more…well…_fatherly_. Light had never seen anything like it. Most of the time L barely seemed older than Light's actual age, but right now Light could truly believe that this was the man who had been fighting for justice for the past decade. The detective finally turned towards Light.

"Pardon me Light-kun. I apologize for the secrecy, but I needed to talk with them in private." He spoke in Japanese, since he knew the boys were at least fairly fluent in that language and Light deserved the courtesy.

Light raised an eyebrow, waiting for an introduction, which was assured to have parts omitted, made up, and definitely be awkward. The boys looked to L who made a few motions with his hands. The red haired one stepped forward.

"My name is Matt. I'm a technology specialist." With that he shrugged and stepped back. The blond stepped forward.

"I'm Mello. Weapons specialist." His tone was brusque most likely from the earlier reprimand. Finally the boy in white stepped forward.

"Near." There was an awkward pause, before Light realized that was all he was going to get. Light looked down the line of boys when he noticed a pattern.

He glanced at the detective. _'L.' _

Then at the two older boys. _'M.'_

Then finally at the youngest. _'N.'_

Combined with the fact that these strange young men spoke several different languages fluently and were on familiar terms with L, Light came to a startling conclusion.

"You're L's successors."




End file.
